T/N:
Please be aware that there are two similarly named entities in the story:
Jin Hui TV – This is the television station where the protagonist, Jing Yu, works.
Jin Hui – This is the name of a character in the in-universe drama Your Lie in April.
Despite the similar spelling, they refer to completely different things. Please keep this in mind to avoid confusion!
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After all, although 'Your Lie in April' had solid ratings, 1.5% was only impressive by Lan Province standards. Since Jing Yu was from Lan Province and would likely remain there long-term, it was natural for others to assume his influence would be limited to the region.
But Jing Yu… he had his eyes on something far bigger.
The reach of Jinhui TV had its limits. The popularity of a drama was heavily affected by those limitations. Even if he produced a stellar script, the highest ratings the show could reach might not even surpass an average drama airing on Xing Tong Satellite TV.
During the first three weeks of 'Your Lie in April's broadcast, Jing Yu had already started to sense this.
He found many of the dramas airing on Xing Tong Satellite TV dull and uninspired, yet 'Your Lie in April' still couldn't catch up in terms of ratings. That was telling.
Jing Yu's current plan was to build his reputation and portfolio at Jinhui TV first. Once he had established a name for himself within Da Zhou's entertainment industry, he would move on to a bigger stage.
As for signing a long-term contract with Jinhui TV… that was never on the table for him. All that talk about using 'Your Lie in April's follow-up success to negotiate better terms? That was just to keep the higher-ups placated for now.
If he were still under his previous long-term contract, this would be far trickier. First, it would be a breach of professional ethics. Second, the contract had numerous clauses that could restrict his future in the industry. Third, there was a hefty penalty for breaking it.
Luckily, that long-term contract had been voided—thanks to Jiang Shiqing reporting that much of Jing Yu's work had actually been completed by his late father, Jing Liang. The network used this as a reason to terminate the agreement. Still, to avoid demoralizing other staff, they didn't pursue further action against Jing Yu. After all, his father had dedicated many years to the station, earning both recognition and respect. The man hadn't even been gone for a month, and suing his son would've looked terrible. Besides, Jing Yu didn't have any money back then.
So, since it was the network that voided his contract, could they really blame him now for thinking ahead?
To most writers, a long-term contract with the station was a golden ticket. But to Jing Yu, it was a shackle.
His goal wasn't just to become a well-known screenwriter in Lan Province. He was aiming for recognition across all of Da Zhou—maybe even globally.
But of course, that kind of ambition wasn't something he could openly say. If he let it slip before his short-term contract expired, there was no way the network would fund any of his future projects.
Jing Yu spent some time playing verbal judo with Chu You, firmly refusing to sign any long-term deal for now.
Chu You had no choice but to sigh and back off.
They'd have to revisit the topic later.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chu You left the 'Your Lie in April' production set.
Jing Yu watched his car drive off.
But this kind of stalling tactic would only work for maybe another six months. Once his short-term contract neared its end, if he made no move to renew it, even a fool would realize something was off.
If by that time, Jing Yu still hadn't built enough reputation and achievements to break away from Jinhui TV and move onto a bigger stage… he'd be stuck.
So…
"These next six months, I need to make sure every TV station in Da Zhou knows my name," Jing Yu took a deep breath.
It was another Friday.
Within the broader Da Zhou market, 'Your Lie in April' might only be a moderately popular drama. But within Lan Province—thanks to Jinhui TV's local influence—it was a breakout hit.
Normally, Friday night ratings were weaker compared to weekends.
But even before 'Your Lie in April' began airing, this pattern had already started to shift.
Out-of-province drama fans, as well as locals, would flock to Jinhui TV right when the show was about to start. In just ten minutes, the station's viewership shot up from 0.59% to 1.03%—and kept climbing.
Having experienced the early episodes that focused on the budding relationship between the male and female leads, episode 4 saw the romance between You Gongsheng and Gong Yuanxun progress rapidly.
"Seriously, who even remembers that Gong Yuanxun originally had a crush on Du Liang?"
Many viewers couldn't help but comment as they watched.
What people expected to be a love triangle between Gong Yuanxun, You Gongsheng, and Du Liang never materialized. Du Liang had zero interest in the mix, and Gong Yuanxun completely lost interest in him, too—now clinging to You Gongsheng every chance she got.
Meanwhile, Ze Zhun didn't turn dark and jealous as viewers had predicted. Instead, she continued to quietly pine for You Gongsheng in painful silence.
'Your Lie in April' didn't follow any typical narrative formula.
And yet—despite that—the drama was still incredibly engaging.
The dialogue and emotional depth in the character portrayals stood out. A simple conversation after class, a chance meeting in the park, mutual encouragement during moments of vulnerability—these were elements rarely seen in Da Zhou's current crop of romance dramas.
That youthful feeling…
'Your Lie in April' captured it perfectly. Not everyone's youth was filled with drama and manipulation, like so many other shows. For most people, youth was built from small, fragmented moments of ordinary life.
Up to this point, there hadn't been a single "villain" in the series, yet people were still glued to it.
Even characters like Xiang Wu and Jin Hui, introduced in episode 3, didn't exhibit any behavior that would make viewers dislike them in episode 4.
They simply saw You Gongsheng as a rival—someone to admire, to chase after, to surpass.
When they found out he was entering a piano competition, they abandoned their original plans just to compete alongside him.
The latter half of episode 4 was almost entirely dedicated to Xiang Wu's solo piano performance—an elegant, charismatic newcomer to the show.
It was a stunning musical showcase, and drama fans couldn't look away for even a second.
Until…
Jin Hui, in a striking red gown, appeared.
Xia Yining's natural aura was already cold and breathtaking. With her red formal dress, defined hands, and flawless figure, she became the center of attention the moment her performance began.
When her fingers touched the piano keys on stage during the concert, 'Your Lie in April's ratings continued to soar.
"Wait, you're telling me you played that piece?!"
In Xia Yining's dorm room, her three roommates practically felt their ears getting pregnant.
The composition was fierce, majestic, and surged through them with undeniable force.
"That's not Teacher Jing Yu dubbing it," Xia Yining said calmly as the music played from the TV.
"'Teacher Jing Yu'? Since when did you start calling him that?" Chen Jing teased with a smirk.
"Weren't you still calling him 'that writer' or 'what's-his-name' before?"
Xia Yining's frosty expression twitched slightly with displeasure, but she still responded.
"I've always shown respect to those with real ability."
"Oh, really? I think it's not just his talent that's gotten to you. Spending every day on set with him… I bet it's his face that's really charmed you."
Xia Yining couldn't take it anymore. She pounced toward Chen Jing.
'Your Lie in April's fourth episode ended with Jin Hui's breathtaking piano solo.
In fact, the main character, You Gongsheng, didn't even have any notable scenes in this episode.
And yet, the ratings didn't drop at all. On the contrary, they went up from a 1.53% average in episode 3 to 1.68% by the end of episode 4.
At one point, the peak rating even brushed up against the 1.9% mark.
When these numbers came out the next day, many people at Jinhui TV were left speechless.
This… was insane. Everyone had assumed that episode 3's 1.5% was the peak. No way 'Your Lie in April' could climb higher, right?
But reality hit hard—and fast.
Episode 4 scored 1.68%. Was this a joke?
If 1.53% from episode 3 had shocked everyone, then 1.68% from episode 4 left them completely stunned.
Could Jinhui TV's Friday time slot really deliver this kind of result?
And now… the pressure shifted to Dangerous Girlfriend.
'Your Lie in April's fourth episode had done too well—so well that even the already-successful Dangerous Girlfriend was now at risk of losing its crown as the top spring drama in Lan Province.
Dangerous Girlfriend had aired two days after 'Your Lie in April', and now that 'Your Lie in April's fourth episode had hit an average of 1.68%, the comparisons were inevitable.
Everyone at the network—and across the Lan Province drama scene—turned their eyes to the Dangerous Girlfriend production team.